Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan has urged local government officials to ensure all wages owing to migrant rural construction workers are paid in full by the end of this year.

"Although the deadline is only six months away, governments should establish a long-term mechanism to prevent defaulting on wages owed to migrant workers," Zeng told a meeting in Beijing on Sunday.

Under a plan set by the State Council, the administration promised to solve the issue of defaulting or cutting wage payments to migrant construction workers by 2006.

So far, a total of 177 billion yuan, or 95.2 percent of the arrears reported by construction companies before the end of 2003, have been paid to migrant laborers, statistics from the Ministry of Construction shows.

To make sure the remaining 4.8 percent are paid on schedule, Zeng said the State Council will hold provincial governments responsible for unpaid wages within their jurisdiction. Provincial governments must only approve construction projects that are securely funded to ensure all wages be paid on time, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2006)